[AnNahar] Cautious calm was on Thursday afternoon engulfing the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole after an exchange of gunfire between two gangs, the National News Agency said.

NNA said Youssef Orqoub, the son of notorious runaway Bilal Orqoub, was seriously maimed in the clash.

It added that two other people were maimed, one of them Kamal al-Dawoudi, a bodyguard of the head of the Mujahid Islamic Movement Sheikh Jamal Khattab.

Al-Jadeed television meanwhile reported that "intensive contacts" were underway to contain the situation.

Earlier in the day, NNA said a group led by B.A. shot it out with members of the Islamist Usbat al-Ansar group after the Paleostinian Kh.Kh., who is loyal to Usbat al-Ansar, shot up Y.A., a son of the leader of the first group, wounding him in the stomach.

Thursday's incidents are linked to the clash that erupted two days ago according to NNA.

[Daily Excelsior] National Investigation Agency today tossed in the clinkPlease don't kill me! a youth from Awantipora in South Kashmire’s Pulwama district for his alleged involvement in a grenade blast at Jalandhar area of Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....in September last year.

The NIA claimed involvement of Ansar Ghazawat-ul-Hind (AGH) headed by Zakir Musa in the four grenade blasts in which one policeman was injured on September 14 last year.

NIA said they arrested accused Amir Nazir Mir son of Nazir Ahmed Mir of Dadsara, Awantipora of Pulwama district in South Kashmire in case RC- 39/2018/NIA/DLI registered in connection with grenade attack on Police Station Maksudan in district Jalandhar, Punjab from Awantipora, Pulwama.

The NIA said that after the attack, FIR no. (163/2018) on 14 September 2018 was registered at PS Division Number 1, Jalandhar. The case was taken up for investigation by NIA and re-registered as RC-39/2018/NIA/DLI.

NIA investigation has revealed that the attack was the handiwork of Kashmire based outfit Ansar Ghazawat-ul-Hind (AGH).

Two accused Fazil Bashir Pinchoo son of Bashir Ahmed Pinchoo of Ghatmohalla, Awantipora and Shahid Qayoom son of Abdul Qayoom of Vill Kanjinag, Awantipora were earlier arrested in this case.

They were pursuing their B Tech (Civil) from St. Soldier Group of Colleges, Jalandhar. "Two more accused who were involved in the attack including Rauf Ahmed Mir and Umar Ramzan, broth from Dadsara, Pulwama, were killed in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmire on December 22, 2018", they said.

"Amir Nazir, is a key accused as he procured and facilitated delivery of 4 grenades used in the attack on the directions of AGH chief Zakir Musa. He was the active link between arrested accused and AGH chief Zakir Musa," the NIA said.

Amir has been taken on transit remand to be produced before the Special NIA Court Mohali for obtaining his police custody for interrogation.

Meanwhile,...back at the argument, Livia grabbed for Jane's hair to make her point. Jane elbowed her in the face in rebuttal... one person has been killed in a brief exchange of fire at Baderpayee village in Handwara area of Kupwara this evening. Troops on tip off about presence of holy warriors in the area launched an operation against them. Security forces killed one person in a brief exchange of fire and his identity is yet to be ascertained.

Police and security forces today busted a bully boy hideout in Kungnoo village of South Kashmire’s Shopian district.

A joint team of Police and 44 RR of Army recovered huge quantity of incriminating materials and other items from the hideout.

Police has started the paperwork but haven't done much else in the matter. "Officers on the spot have seized all the incriminating materials and further investigation in the matter is going on", police said.

They said a 12-bore rifle of a security guard posted at Jammu and Kashmire Bank branch in Kumdalan village Shopian district has been missing from intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday.

The incident took place on intervening night at JK Bank branch Kumdalan, Shopian. Police are investigating the matter how 12-bore rifle from the security guard went missing.

"No cash is missing from the bank. The snatchers expeditiously departed at a goodly pace after snatching the rifle", police said. Police was also analyzing CCTV footage of the bank after the guard reported about the missing of a rifle.

[AlAhram] The terrorism circuit at Cairo Criminal Court sentenced on Sunday one to death four others to life in prison in the case known in the media as the "October Terrorist Cell" over murder and terrorism related charges.

Apparently the October Terrorist Cell (the first mention of that name in our archives) is an ISIS cell, trained in Syria and Libya, unconnected to Ansar Bayt al Maqdis/ISIS province in the Sinai. They specialized in Coptic churches.

The prosecution had charged the defendants with premeditated muder, attempted murder, joining an outlawed group and plotting violent acts in 2013 and 2014 with the aim of preventing state institutions from fulfilling their duties.

The men were convicted of killing a policeman and attempted murder of other police on guard at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Cairo's 6th of October City on the outskirts of Cairo.

Those convicted were also accused of assaulting members of the armed forces and the police, endangering the safety and security of the community, financing terrorist groups, and obtaining illegal firearms and ammunition.

The verdicts can be appealed.

Some years from now some will find themselves freed, some with reduced sentences, and some of the current sentences will be updheld. In the meantime, they will stay in prison.

[ALMASDARNEWS] An important Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS) figure was killed during the heavy U.S. bombardment last night.

The Islamic State commander Jamal Khaled Masoulkh (AKA "Abu Khaled al-Ansari") was killed at the Baghouz Camp last night when the U.S. Coalition unleashed a massive assault on the terrorist group’s Euphrates bastion.

According to reports, Masoulkh was the deputy commander of the Islamic State in al-Raqqa before he moved to eastern Syria.

Once he moved to the Deir Ezzor Governorate, Masoulkh took command of the Islamic State forces along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

The U.S. attack on the Baghouz Camp caught the attention of several observers last night, as the heavy bombs caused massive kabooms that were recorded by nearby photojournalists.

[ALMASDARNEWS] A high ranking jihadist commander from Chechnya was killed by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate on Sunday.

According to reports from northern Hama, the Syrian Arab Army killed the deputy emir of Tanzim Ansar al-Tawhid, Khamza al-Shishani, after he and his forces attempted to attack their positions on Sunday morning.

[DAWN] At least 33 pro-regime fighters were killed on Sunday in attacks mounted by jihadist groups near Idlib province, in the deadliest day in six months for loyalist forces, a monitor said.

Twenty-seven fighters were killed in two attacks by Ansar al-Tawhid jihadists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Five jihadists were also killed," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britannia-based monitoring group.

Ansar al-Tawhid has ties to the larger Hurras al-Deen group, which is also active in the area of northwest Syria. Both are considered semi-officials franchises of Al Qaeda in Syria.

The area of Idlib and small parts of the adjacent provinces of Hama and Aleppo are mostly controlled by the rival Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization.

HTS is led by fighters who formerly belonged to Al Qaeda’s ex-affiliate in Syria.

The attacks by Ansar al-Tawhid were carried out against regime positions in Masasna, a village in Hama province, the Observatory said.

A military source quoted by state news agency SANA confirmed soldiers had been killed and maimed in the attacks on their positions near Idlib province.

Loyalists forces had killed some assailants, the source added without giving figures.

The foreign ministry said Syria "will not allow bandidosbandidos holy warriors and those who are behind them to carry on with their attacks against innocent civilians and the armed forces".

In Latakia province, also northwest of the capital, at least six pro-regime fighters were killed in attacks by HTS Lions of Islam later on Sunday, the Observatory said.

According to Abdel Rahman, the latest spate of attacks caused "one of the highest casualty figures among regime ranks since the Putin-Erdogan deal".

He was referring to an accord struck in the Russian resort of Sochi by Russian President Vladimir Putin...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... and his Ottoman Turkish counterpart Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...Under the Sept 17 truce deal, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... would exert its influence over anti-regime groups in the Idlib region to have them pull back fighters and heavy weapons from a demilitarised zone.

It was meant to stave off a planned offensive by the regime and its Russian backers that aid groups feared could spark the eight-year-old Syrian conflict’s worst humanitarian crisis to date.

The government assault on the last major bastion of rebel forces has been held off but the deal’s provisions have not been implemented.

Since the Sochi agreement, HTS has consolidated its grip on Idlib province.

[AnNahar] A Syrian jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda killed 21 regime and allied forces Sunday near Idlib province, in one of the deadliest breaches of a six-month-old truce deal, a monitor said.

"At dawn, 21 fighters from the regime forces or allied militia were killed in an attack by Ansar al-Tawhid jihadists," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Five jihadists were also killed," Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Britannia-based monitoring group, said.

Ansar al-Tawhid has ties to the larger Hurras al-Deen group, which is also active in the area. Both are considered semi-officials franchises of al-Qaeda in Syria.

The area of Idlib and small parts of the adjacent provinces of Hama and Aleppo are mostly controlled by the rival Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization.

HTS is led by fighters who formerly belonged to al-Qaeda's ex-affiliate in Syria.

Sunday's deadly attack was carried out against regime positions in the village of Masasna, in the north of Hama province, the Observatory said.

"It was one of the highest casualty figures among regime ranks since the Putin-Erdogan deal," Abdel Rahman said. He was referring to an agreement reached in the Russian resort of Sochi between Russian President Vladimir Putin...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... and his Ottoman Turkish counterpart Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...Under the September 17 deal, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... was supposed to exert its influence over anti-regime groups in the Idlib region to get them to pull back their fighters and heavy weapons from a demilitariZed zone.

The agreement was meant to stave off a planned offensive by the regime and its Russian backers that aid groups feared could spark the eight-year-old Syrian conflict's worst humanitarian crisis yet.

The government assault on the last major bastion of forces opposed to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadLeveler of Latakia...'s rule has indeed been held off but the deal's provisions have not been implemented and the de facto truce looks shakier than ever.

Since the Sochi agreement, HTS has consolidated its grip on the Idlib province and Turkey appears to be in no position to deliver on its commitment.

Breaches of the demilitarized zone have spiked in recent days. Another 20 regime and allied forces were killed in three days of festivities about a week ago.

[IsraelTimes] Move to reform the country’s banking system and financial markets comes as Tehran seeks to ease economic crisis.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency said Saturday the country’s Central Bank has merged four banks and a credit union to reform the country’s banking system and financial markets.

The report announced the merger of Ansar, Mehr-e Eghtesad, affiliated with powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ghavvamin, affiliated with the police, Hekmat-e Iranian Bank and the Kosar Credit Institute, affiliated with the defense ministry, with Bank Sepah, Iran’s first bank that is also affiliated with the army.

Bank Sepah has 1800 branches in Iran and others in Britannia, La Belle France, Germany and Italia. The United States imposed sanctions on Bank Sepah in November after it withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran is in the grip of an economic crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months as officials try to downplay the effects of the restored US sanctions on Tehran.

[DAWN] The Pakistain Rangers Sindh on Monday announced that they have nabbedDrop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! eight suspected 'hitmen' allegedly involved in attacks on Muttahida Qaumi Movement...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...-Pakistain (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party's (PSP) workers and leaders.

On Dec 9, 2018, an IED blast had taken place at the Mehfil-e-Milad organised by MQM-P in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, injuring seven persons.

Shortly after, on Dec 23, multiple button men had resorted to indiscriminate firing on PSP's office in Gulbahar in which two workers had died while two others were maimed. Meanwhile,...back at the mall, Clarissa spent the day shopping for new underwear. Tonight was going to be a special occasion... on Feb 11, several suspects had attacked an office of a union council belonging to MQM-P in New Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... in which an activist named Shakeel Ansari had lost his life and another was hurt.

Colonel Faisal Awan, during a presser at the Rangers headquarters in Karachi, said that the arrested individuals tie in with the aforesaid attacks. He said that the suspects were being operated by a South Africa-based individual named Mohammed Saleem Baloch alias Belgium, under the direct supervision of MQM founder the increasingly rotundAltaf Hussain...The head of MQM in Pakistain, who has lived in London and hasn't laid eyes on Pakistain since Caesar made corporal. Judging from the size of him, he may be a Hutt...The paramilitary force official said that the "team of hitmen" was also being aided by "some women" in the city.

Colonel Awan said that the team was formed in 2018 to target opponents of MQM-London, especially PSP and MQM-P workers and leaders, in an attempt to "sabotage peace and undermine growing political, economic and commercial activities in the city," which he said had become possible after the Rangers-led operation in 2013.

[AlAhram] French forces have killed a top jihadist leader, Yahya Abou El Hamame,

...also spelt Yahia Aboul Hammam in our archives...

in an operation in Mali, Defence Minister Florence Parly said Friday.

The Algerian, a commander in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was reputedly responsible for kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa.

A ministry statement issued in Gay Paree said he was "the criminal mastermind and financer of several attacks".

El Hamame was killed Thursday when French land and air forces ambushed a column of vehicles he was travelling with north of Timbuktu, Parly said.

He reportedly served as AQIM's "governor" in Timbuktu when the city was held by Salafist tough guys from April 2012 to January 2013.

A number of other "terrorists" were "neutralised", Parly added.

El Hamame was believed to be second in command of the Group to Support Islam and Moslems (GSIM), also known as Nusrat al-Islam, led by Iyad Ag Ghali.

The group was formed by the merger of Ansar Dine...a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali's northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and MUJAO in early 2012..., the Macina Liberation Front, al-Mourabitoun and El Hamame's Saharan branch of AQIM.

The operation was announced as Parly, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian were due to visit Mali, where some 4,500 French troops have been deployed since 2014 to reconquer the north of the country after it fell to jihadist fighters.

Jihadist veteran Djamel Okacha was also known as Yahya Abou El Hamame.

Mr. Okacha, now 40, inherited the mantle of leadership back in 2013 when his predecessor was killed by French forces. At the time Okacha was a close aide of AQIM chief Abdelmalik Droukdel, and considered the real leader of the group.

French commandos, helicopters and a drone hit a column of vehicles he was travelling in north of Timbuktu, French officials said. Defence Minister Florence Parly described his killing as a "spectacular action", saying it followed a manhunt which lasted several years.

Egypt's court of cassation upheld the death sentence for the prisoners in November 2018, rejecting an appeal against the sentence.

However,facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... the court did commute the sentence of six other prisoners from death to life in prison. It also sentenced 15 defendants to life in prison, eight defendants to 15 years, and 10 others to 10 years.

The defendants in the case were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and the possession of explosives devices.

In June 2015, Barakat was killed in a Cairo kaboom that struck his convoy in the upscale eastern Cairo district of Heliopolis.

A holy warrior group calling itself the "Popular Resistance" grabbed credit for the bombing. A court in February 2017 designated the group a terrorist organization.

Egypt on Wednesday executed nine suspected Moslem Brüderbund members convicted of involvement in the 2015 liquidation of Egypt’s top prosecutor, security officials said.

Death sentences were also handed down in July 2017 to 13 defendants tried in absentia. They will be eligible for a new trial if they surrender or are captured.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... deported one of the 13 last month. Mohammed Abdel-Hafiz is likely to face a new trial over the same accusations.

The Brotherhood denied they dunnit, ISIS in the Sinai/Ansar Bayt al Maqdis claimed they did, but the government has been consistent about who they blame — Popular Resistence appeared full blown, like Athena born from the brow of Zeus, in 2014, claiming Mr. Barakat as their first coup.

[AlAhram] Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld on Monday an earlier criminal court decision to place 241 people on the country's terrorist list.

In May 2018, the Egyptian gazette published a decision by the Cairo Criminal Court to place 241 people on the terrorist list for joining the Wilayet Sinai terrorist organization.

The cassation court's decision was based on a memo by the High State Security Prosecution saying that the suspects worked to restructure the organization and attract new members to carry out hostile plans against the Armed Forces, the police and the judiciary.

The court highlighted that this cell has been implicated in several attacks targeting police and army personnel in April 2017.

Wilayat Sinai is the self-proclaimed name of the terrorist group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which declared allegiance to ISIS in November 2014.